About

When talent is passed on from generation to generation, it often happens in an unpresumptuous way. Such is the case with Daniel Röhn – one of the most remarkable and talented violinists of the present day. Over a number of decades, both his grandfather and father were renowned concertmasters on the universally unique German orchestral scene; now the new generation has joined those ranks as a soloist and chamber musician, who will no doubt contribute significantly to the world of the violin.

“I want to tell a tale that cannot be conveyed through the written word.” The phrase used by Daniel Röhn to describe his artistic credo has an almost poetic ring to it. His impressive musicality and a seemingly effortless virtuosity and “pithy, luminous tone” (Frankfurter Allge-meine Zeitung) rarely fail to captivate audiences.

He took up the violin at an early age. It is an instrument that has played a resounding role in his family for two generations: for decades his father and grandfather – both renowned concert masters at the Berlin Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – played an active part in shaping the German orchestral landscape. Growing up against the back-drop of this exceptional musical tradition, Daniel Röhn’s musical talent had free rein to evolve and flourish. He honed his extraordinary talent at a young age, studying under Ana Chumachenco at Munich University of Music and Performing Arts.

Interpreting both the great classical-romantic concert repertoire and modernist works at the invitation of Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti and Esa-Pekka Salonen, the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) chose Daniel Röhn as one of the “rising star” of 2005. He has since made numerous guest appearances with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the SWR’s Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cappella Istropolitana and the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn.

As a soloist and chamber musician, he has appeared in the Berlin Philharmonie, the Munich Philharmonic’s Gasteig Cultural Centre, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Vienna Konzerthaus, Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Cité de la Musique Paris, Southbank Centre, Wigmore Hall London and Carnegie Hall New York.

Describing his playing style requires more than merely mentioning his impressive technical brilliance. Daniel Röhn’s magnetism lies in the incredible softness of tone and the gestures he uses to create this sound. He draws on traditions of musical expression that had been virtually consigned to the past. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that Ruggiero Ricci, one of the most eminent violin virtuosos of our time, enthusiastically endorsed the young artist: “The way he plays is reminiscent of the old masters!” Even today, Daniel Röhn is still quick to acknowledge these commendatory words with his own brand of self-irony: “I found the courage to develop my own trademark style by listening to all the Kreisler's and Heifetz's. One of my best teachers was my parents’ record cabinet.”

Few other contemporary musicians are capable of bringing back to life the sparkling treasures of Fritz Kreisler as masterfully as Daniel Röhn on his current album, The Kreisler Sto-ry (EDEL/ Berlin Classics).